Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542338
IN THE PADDOCK Bv Mrcxa:r Scorr Where There's Smoke ) Therets Smoke ith Valentino Rossi lead ing the way, the 2006 l4otocP season has already gotten off toacliffhanger-even before the engines have started. The revving noises come from teams of lawyers, representinS the two sides in an increasingly bifter war of words. On the one hand, Rossi's factory Yamaha team: on the other, Altadis, own- ers of the Gauloises brand, their sPonsors for the past two victorious seasons. Gauloises was originally to have been sponsors for the 2006 season as well, until things started falling apart in the middle of last year. Now they are to be replaced by Camel. after an extraordinary reshuf- fle at the top levels o, MotoGP And it is this yellow livery that is the reason that Altadis is applying to the Swiss-based court of sporting arbitration, seeking unspecified "pecuniary and declamatory" dam- ages from Yamaha, for what they see as a breach of contract. Altadis asserts that not only had Yamaha announced its split prematurely, while negotiations to end the existing 2006 con- tract were still under way, but more impor- tantly that Yamaha's link with Camel vio- lates an aSreement not to take on rival (i.e., cigarette) spon- sorship for 2006. Yamaha equally insists that there is no such agreement and no breach of con- tracr, and that it will defend its Position vigorously. Each side claims Sood faith: Altadis insists its action is for the Sood of MotoGB in securing the sanctit/ of con- tracts - though the money will now 8o to rwo-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb. Yamaha in turn "deplores ... Altadis' unreasonable actions" ... and "wrongful accusations," and that the group has ''seen fit to make its unmerited allegations in a public forum." There is no word on how long a deci- sion will take, and it would be highly improper to anticipate the outcome. Jokers are already asserting, however, that Yamaha's mcing team will not enioy the Camel money for long, since they will merely pass it straight along to Gauloises. After all, the Altadis Group lawyers are the same ones who won $3 million in damages from Alex Barras arter the Brazilian had dumped them for Honda way back in 2004. The same jokers note that Yamaha's race-team boss Lin Jarvis has been remarkably unlucky rn his contmcts in recent years. His recruitment of Nicky Hayden for 2003 also ended up in legal argument (though it never came to court), with the rider ending uP on a Honda instead. Doubtless Yamaha is able ioin Alex Barros, Ruben Xaus and Robeno Rolfo. . Team Honda Pons has ''taken a year off," after Camel withdrew backing. This was the result of HRC's refusal to supply a bike to Biaggi. The late-December announcement left open the possibility that Camel might leave MotoGP altogether . Carlos Checa, Pons'proposed sec- ond rider. is now also hunting for a iob. The affair staned in August at Brno, when Rossi's new 2006 contract specified he would not be riding in Gauloises colors - supposedly because of his oft-stated dis- like oftobacco backing. There was a lot of talk of private backing from longtime backer Nastro Azurro, and from lalian telecommunications giant Alice, and even ln another part of the paddock, mat- ters came to a head at the final round at Valencia, when Honda spurned Biaggi, and Camel announced its intention to find another slot for its pet rider, lt was at this point that it first made contact with Yamaha, for a possible slot in the second Tech 3 team. Clearly, talks did not stop there, although it has been impossible to con- firm details: Yamaha's race company boss Lin Jarvis canceled a scheduled interview, and other parties remained incommunica- do, as the court battle looms. lt's possible that they were discussing the Rossi deal even then. Rumors that Camel might take the fac- tory team surfaced early in the new year- It was still surprisinS that they turned out to be true. On December 20, Camel had announced the end of their proj- ect with Biaggi. Three days later, with Christrnas loom- ing, Yamaha announced that it would not be runninS in Gauloises colors in 2006. Gauloises responded directfy, insisting that no final agreement had been reached. Then, on January 9, the news broke: Not only would Camel replace Gauloises at the top team in Motoce but it would be with Rossi as the lead rider. Exactly what hap- pened to Rossi's expected private backing remains to be seen, and the rider will have to explain his own about-face in the mafter ofpromotin8 cigareftes. His explanation when he did switch from Repsol to Gauloises was, "l'd prefer ro ride with tobac(o sponsorshiP than not to ride." Will it hold good todayl ln Spain, however, the big news is as much about Pons as about Yamaha and Camel. The team has run for 25 years, and mighr find it difficult to get gorng again in 2007 - ifthey skip 2006. Some view this as liftle shon of a national tragedy, but rival team owner Luis d'Afltin had harsh words about Pons' unwillingness, after enioyinS so many rich years, to invest "a single euro in a complicated year." Cll to be understandinS when Jarvis linds himself on the wronS foot again, since he was the man who signed uP Rossi... although, as the rider's autobiography reveals, the initial recruitment came from the team manaSer, Davide Brivio. Meanwhile, there have already been heau/ casualties, in a convoluted affair that involves a top Honda team, and sev- eral other top riders. . Rossi's longtime rival Max BiaSgi, given a corporate cold shoulder by Honda and rejected (for various reasons) by the other teams, and is now lookinS for a ride in World Superbike, where he hopes to rumors that lYcDonald's was clamoring to heap cash on the golden boy. And there was at least some substance to these rumorc. A source close to Yamaha con_ firmed this week that there had been talks at the time of running him in an "independent" team. Gauloises viewed as laughable sugges- tions that the status of the World Champion could really be viewed as that of a sarellire rider, and that the remarninS ''factory" team, with Colin Edwards and another rider, filled its contract to back the official top squad. Negotiations began for "an amicable split.'' :ii CYCLE NEWS . FEBRUARY I, 2006 7I t I if , b i ) a 1r aa $ \ \